Bay Wolf Restaurant Dinner, March 28, 2009

I was not able to cook for the Bay Wolf Restaurant Cookbook Dinner. And, I must admit, my dinner at the the Bleu Provence Restaurant (www.bleuprovencenaples.com) in Florida was not half as good as the one prepared from the club members. And, let me digress a moment....if you DO go to Naples, Florida, and are in the mood for French food, this was a wonderful place to dine!

The comments below were from others who prepared and shared this feast.

Another fantastic dinner and you both were missed. Each course was a big hit...I think the most talked about was Sharon's “Oxtail Soup” (p. 29) because it was unusual and new to most of us. Though it sounds like a lot of effort, we all agreed it was one of the “worth the work” recipes in the book. Glenn chose a Steven Kent Vincere, a sangiovese/cabernet sauvignon blend and was the perfect pairing with the soup.

Jeffrey brought one of his Mt. Eden Vineyard 2007 Chardonnays which went well with his “Chiogga Beet and Tangerine Salad with Celery, Walnuts and Citrus Vinaigrette ” (p.4). The salad greens and pomegranates came from his own garden and had great flavors as a result. Annie's “Celery Root and Celery Heart Salad with Blue Cheese and Glazed Walnuts” (p. 44) was the first course and most definitely one that I will be using in the future. It was the first time Annie had used celery root and was very pleased with the new ingredient in her life.

With relief, my "Duck a l'Orange with Turnips and Their Greens" (pp. 51-52)dish was also very good though I'm not sure I'd make it again due to amount of effort (all in making the glaze/sauces, homemade stock, etc.) We had a lot of great discussion about the book and cooking methods used. Jeffrey knows the owner and has made quite of few of the recipes so we talked about the importance of seasoning the meats the day before, the whole business of carmelization and reduction. It was very enlightening to hear it from Jeffrey's viewpoint since he knows the chemistry part of it. He was helpful making my dish too. He insisted I remove the fat reduction earlier than called for and explained why. He then proceeded to do it for me…very cute. In the end, he was right and it helped with the final carmelization.


Bill’s 1995 Riussec Sauternes was most appreciated and went well with the citrus desserts, both of which were excellent. Sandi's "Meyer Lemon Meringue Tart"(p. 53) was excellent but she didn't like the recipe as it called for 13 eggs, which she thought was way too many. Willie’s “Blood Orange and Meyer Lemon Sherberts with Lime Shortbread” (p. 38) was the perfect final note that provided a palate cleanser and the wonderful tart richness from the lime shortbread.

During the various courses we discussed the Bay Wolf Restaurant Cookbook in general and agreed that the authors assume you are a relatively seasoned cook. The book was a bit vague in prep and measurements in some recipes. It also calls out ingredients like you just happen to have some extra handy. In the duck recipe it calls out for more stock and reduced orange juice after you supposedly used it all in earlier cooking steps. Many of the main course recipes stress the importance of seasoning overnight for certain meats, poultry which we concluded helps to release the flavors. The book also has a lot of reduction sauces that seem time consuming but the process of "carmelization" in layers must be essential in this type of cooking. Jeffrey shared a bit about the chemistry involved. Still, some of us wondered how compromised a sauce would be if you skipped a few steps in the reduction process and just reduced once or twice. In general I think everyone at the dinner felt this was an excellent book as it offered a good range of recipes using seasonal items and many interesting ingredients and combinations.

That dinner was fantastic and I have already made notes in my book and tabbed other recipes that were discussed. I found the “Duck Liver Flan with Green Peppercorns and Marsala” (p. 66) that Jeffrey mentioned and wished I had tried that one instead. It sure sounds like a standout recipe. Also tabbed the “Braised Chicken with Spicy Greens” (p. 193) dish that Annie noted as that looks more my speed for informal/family dinners.

We chatted about the next book a bit Made in Spain by Jose Andreas and the tapas theme..."topless" per Jeffrey!

THANK YOU, MARY for your fabulous account of the dinner! It made me salivate and wish I had been there...

I am certainly not going to miss a future dinner for ANY reason! Although the group did not discuss our 2009 field trip, perhaps the Bay Wolf Restaurant in Oakland, CA. should be the place to try!

I will also try to post my attempts with the Made In Spain cookbook as I prepare for our next dinner in May!

Bon appétit!
Sandi